Distributing apparatus



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Q UNITED STATES Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH WALLACE ALLEN, O1 CLAIRTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS.

Application filed m1 9, 1927. Serial No. 182,429. I

This invention relates to material handling apparatus and while not limited thereto relates more particularly to apparatus for delivering coal to an overhead storage bin such as used forstoring coal to be charged to byproduct coke ovens and similar apparatus.

The object of the present invention is to provide apparatus which will cause an even distribution of coal or similarly divided material in the bin and prevent piling of the materia-l, so that the coarser material will not be divided out of the fine material 'as will be the case when the material is allowed to pile. Heretofore thecoal was delivered to the coal storage bins of by-product coke ovens directly froma shuttle beltconveyer mounted on acarriage which travels on a track running lengthwise along the top of the storage bin, and therefore'formed a ridge or, pile of coal in the bin in the direction of travel of the conveyer, that is, along the longitudinal center line, of the bin. Coal entering the bin in this manner was segregated into different sizes of varying composition and density. This segregation resulted from the action of the coal as it fell on the ridge or pile of coal in the bin. The larger pieces and heavier pieces of coal rolled from the ridge to the sides of the bin while the smaller pieces of coal remained near the top of this ridge, finally coming to rest near the center line of the bin. 7 As a result of this segregation or sizing of the coal, the coaldischarged from thesides of the bin would have an entirely different composition and density from that discharged fromthe center, therefore, resulting in different quality of coke being made from the different charges of coal.

The present invention overcomes the sizing or segregation of coal and the likedue to piling, and provides a uniform distribution of coal over the entirebin.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an end elevation of a bin having this invention applied thereto Figure 2 is a partial side elevation of'the bin of Figure 1, the upper part of the housing being omitted for clearness.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan taken. on the line IIIIII of Figure 2.

Fi ure 4 is an enlarged detail elevation of the elivery end of the main conveyer .and shuttle conveyer.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail end elevation thereof. a

Figure 6 is a plan view of one of the bin delivery chutes. 1

Figure'7 is an end view of the chutes.

Flgure 8 is a side elevation of the chute. Referring more particularly to the draw ings the numeral '2 designates the bin as a whole, which is supported by a suitable structure 3 and has its upper end closed by a suitable housing 4. A

Coal is delivered to the bin from a suitable crusher (not shown) by a belt conveyer 5 which discharges the coal into a delivery chute A, composed of a hopper like receiving portion 6 and two oppositely inclined deliv-' ery legs 7 and 8. A valve plate 9 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 10 at the junction point of the legs 7 and 8 and is adapted to divert the coal into the opposite delivery legs of the chute when in its opposite extreme positions. The shaft 10 has its one end extended outwardly beyond the chute and bent downwardly to form a contact end 12 for a purpose to be described. f

The bin 2 has an open top, and hasits bottom provided with a plurality of trans verse rows of dischargehoppers 13 and the hoppers of each of the rows are also in longitudinal alinement. The hoppers 13 are each provided with a valved outlet 14 through which the coal is adapted to be discharged into a suitable larry car 15 having a plurality of hoppers 16 thereon equal in number to the hoppers in the transverse rows.

If desired the bin may be provided with a plurality of transverse and longitudinally extendingwalls 17 and 18, respectively, so as to divide the body of the bin into chambers equal to the top dimensions of the hoppers '13. The walls 17 and 18 may be extended downwardly to the' tops of the hoppers .13

or may terminate a short distance above the tops of the hoppers 13 as desired. The walls 17 and 18 serve to aid in preventing the material spreading when delivered to the bin and thus segregating or sizing, however, the present invention will operate substantially as well without such walls as with them and therefore it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the use of said walls in any sense.

The coal as it is delivered from the legs and 8 of the chute A, is adapted to fall upon a shuttle conveyer B. The conveyer B is mounted on a wheeled carriage 20 which is adapted to travel longitudinally along the center of the bin on tracks 21.

The carriage 20 is provided-with suitable power driving means and automatic control means for reversing ltsdirectlon oftravel as it reaches each end of the bin. However since such means are old and well known they are not shown.

The shuttle conveyer B is preferably of the belt type and is adapted to be run in a clirection opposite to the direction of travel of the carriage'20 and to discharge the coal at the end of the carriage. The direction of travel of the conveyer B is also adapted to be automatically reversed by means (not shown) when the direction of travel of the carriage 20 is reversed.

The coal is adapted to be delivered through the legs of the chute A inclined in the same direction as the direction of travel of the conveyer B and,therefore, valve plate ,9 must be reversed whenthe direction of travel of the carriage 20 and conveyer B is reversed, and for this purpose trip arms 25 are prov vided at the opposite ends of the carriage 20 to engage the contact end 12 of the shaft 10 and reverse the position ofthe valve when the carriage 20 reaches either extreme of its travel.

A screen 26 is arranged longitudinally along the center of the bin in position to receive all the coal discharged from the shuttle conveyer B.

.Arranged under the screen 26 so-asto receive all the coal passing through the screen are a pluralit of delivery chutes C. The chutes C each have a hopper-like top 27 having a substantially rectangular outline so that the top of one chute may closely abut the top of the next adjacent chute and thus form a substantiall continuous line of receiving hoppers un er the screen 26.

The hopper-like tops 27 of the chutes C have a discharge opening 28 which opens into a deflector member 29 which deflects the coal downwardly into a distributing chute 30 which in turn terminates ina deflector 31 adapted to deflect the coal downwardlyinto bin 2. a

The chutes C are arranged in a plurality of series equal to the number of transverse rows of hoppers 13 and each series of chutes C comprise a number of chutes equal-to the number of hoppers 13 in the transverse rows. In the drawings each transverse row of hoppers 13 consists of four hoppers. Therefore there are four chutes in each series.

The chutes C of each series have their distributing chute portions 30 arranged at different angles relative to the hopper tops 27 so that they will terminate directly over the center of one of the hoppers 13 of the transverse row of hoppers served by that particular series of chutes. Therefore each of the hoppers 13 willbe'served 'by an individual chute C. When the chutes C are arranged as above described their delivery ends will terminate, transverse line at equally spaced intervals and the delivery ends of the chutes of successive series willalso be in line with the chutes of the other series and equally spaced from the next adjacent chutes. That isthe delivery ends of all the chutes will be spaced equi-distant from the next adjacent chutes so that the coal will be delivered at a plurality of equi-spaced points over the area of the'bin. The spacing of'the-chutes O is suchthat the points of delivery of the coal will besufliciently close to prevent any mate rial piling and consequent running and sizing of thecoal. i i v V In operation the coal is delivered in a substantially constant streamfroin the conveyer 5 to the chute A and onto the shuttle conveyer B, and due to the automatic'operation of the shuttle conveyer B, a relatively constant stream of coal is delivered successively to the chutes C and by said chutes to the bin as described above. j

The hopper-like top portion27 of the endmost chutes C are shown as of greater width than the portion 27 of the remaining chutes so as to compensate for the time required to fillthe shuttle conveyer B after it is reversed, otherwise all the chutes C are of like construction with the exception of the angular position of their distributing chute portions 30. M

While I have shown and described one specific embodiment of my invention it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim A material handling apparatus comprising, in combination, a substantially rectangular bin, a shuttle conveyer arranged above and adapted to travel longitudinally relative to said bin, a plurality of chutes mounted behopper-like upper ends arranged side by side in contact with each other in a line with the travel path of said conveyer and adapted to successively receive the materialdischarged by said conveyer as said conveyer travels along said bin, said chutes-each having a delivery portion and being arranged in a plurality of series, each series of chutes having will deliver the material at substantially their delivery ends arranged in a transverse equal spaced points over the bottom of said 10 line across said bin and spaced a substanb1n and cause a relatively even distribution tially equal distance from each other, and and prevent piling of said material.

5 the delivery ends of the chutes of said several In testimony whereof, I have hereunder series of chutes being spaced a substantially signed my name. equal distance from the delivery ends of the chutes of the next series, so that said chutes JOSEPH WALLACE ALLEN. 

